Ladder Dredge

Fairbanks Exploration Company Gold Dredge No. 8
Fairbanks Exploration Company Gold Dredge No. 8
Society: ASME Main Category: Mechanical Sub Category: Minerals Extraction & Refining Era: 1920-1929 DateCreated: 1928 1755 Old Steese Hwy N Fairbanks State: AK Zip: 99712 Country: USA Website: http://www.asme.org/about-asme/history/landmarks/topics-m-z/minerals-extraction-and-refining/-113-fairbanks-exploration-company-gold-dredge-no- Creator: U.S. Smelting, Refining, and Mining Company (USSR&M)

This floating dredge is one of the last mammoth gold dredges in the Fairbanks Mining District that traveled an ancient stream bed, thawing the ground ahead of it and scooping up the gravel. During 32 years of operation, a fortune in gold washed through its sluices. Ladder dredges came to Alaska in the early 1920s, after the U.S. Smelting, Refining, and Mining Company (USSR&M) brought water to the area via the 90-mile Davidson Ditch. Using the water to warm the ground, the ground was thawed at an average 9 inches a day.

YearAdded:
1986
Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/Roger Wollstadt (CC BY-SA 2.0) Image Caption: Fairbanks Exploration Company Gold Dredge No. Era_date_from: 1928
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Fairbanks Exploration Company Gold Dredge No. 8

Fairbanks Exploration Company Gold Dredge No. 8

This floating dredge is one of the last mammoth gold dredges in the Fairbanks Mining District that traveled an ancient stream bed, thawing the ground ahead of it and scooping up the gravel. During 32 years of operation, a fortune in gold washed through its sluices. Ladder dredges came to Alaska…

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